As of the end of 2020, there are twelve species in the Catacantha Genus, which can be divided into three subgroups, based on some easily recognized forewing characters:

Subgroup I: Catacantha latifasciata: the type species and only member of the group with a broadly pre-apical pm line.

Subgroup II: Catacantha stramentalis; C. obliqua; C. ecorientalis; C. jujuyensis; C. nataliae; C. siriae; C. meta; seven members all of which have apical pm lines and bipartate discal cell markings.

Subgroup III: Catacantha oculata; C. ferruginea; C. bahiginea; C. tabeae; four members all of which have apical lines and pupillated discal cell markings.

Hopefully the following chart will help me and others with identification work. On my home computer I have some images which are only available to me at this point in time. Hopefully I will receive additional images from members, non-members and other photographers who encounter the missing species. In some cases specimens of one gender or the other remain undescribed.

Catacantha Genus Subgroup I: Broadly Apical Fw PM Line Catacantha latifasciata male ws: 34mm; fwl: 17-20mm 1000-3000m Catacantha latifasciata female ws: 38mm; fwl: 20-24mm 1000-3000m Brazil: Mato Grosso do Sul; Goias; Minas Gerais; Parana Broadly preapical forewing pm line Bipartate cell markings; almost uniform honey brown ground colour Subgroup II: Apical Fw PM Line; Bipartate Cell Markings Catacantha stramentalis male ws: 50mm; fwl: 25-28mm Catacantha stramentalis female ws: 50-53mm; fwl: 28-30mm Peru: Madre de Dios; Cusco; Junin Bolivia: La Paz Relatively large; pml to mid i.m. Yellowish grey ground colour; darker than siriae Darker pinkish grey suffusions in hw basal area Catacantha siriae male ws: 45mm; fwl: 24-27mm 1370m Catacantha siriae female female undescribed Peru: Cusco; Junin; Pasco; Bolivia: Cochabamba. brighter yellow forewings than strmentalis, which are more greyish yellow to brown. pml to 1/3 im Catacantha nataliae male ws: 49-51mm 420m Catacantha nataliae female female undescribed Venezuela: Barinas Aml weak to absent; right pml slightly s-shaped; pml to mid im; Catacantha ecorientalis male ws: 48mm; fwl: 24-28mm 530-1670m Catacantha ecorientalis female female undescribed 530-1670m Ecuador: Napo; Sucumbios; Orellana; Pastaza; Tungurahua; Zamora Chinchipe.; markings prominent; pml to mid im; pml slightly concave Catacantha meta male ws: 42mm; fwl: 21-23mm Catacantha meta female ws: 46m; fwl: 25-27mm; Colombia: Meta; Cundinamarca; Boyaca; 540-1400m Relatively small compared to nataliae and ecorientalis; forewing post median line runs from slightly pre-apical to near middle of the inner margin. Males with generous greyish speckling on yellow ground colour; very similar to nataliae and ecorientalis Catacantha obliqua male ws: 47mm; fwl: 24mm 900-1000m Catacantha obliqua female lasrger than males 900-1000m Brazil: Minas Gerais; Goias; G.C.: dull yellowish to orangey-grey; submarginal spots absent or very weak; hindwing with slight pinkish suffusion in basal area pml to 1/3 im Catacantha jujuyensis male male undescribed Catacantha jujuyensis female ws: 47mm; fwl: 25mm Argentina: Jujuy The male is undescribed; the female is very dark, almost black in the forewing basal area; The cell marking looks like a thin black line rather than bipartate spots; hindwng is reddish grey-brown Subgroup III: Apical Fw PM Line; Pupillated Cell Catacantha oculata male ws: 37-42mm; fwl: 21-22mm 1300m Catacantha oculata female ws: 55mm; fwl: 30mm 1300m Brazil: Minas Gerais; Rio de Janeiro Male: yellow with weakly defined, diffuse pm line. Male forewing ocellus very large and prominent Catacantha ferruginea male ws: 40-51mm; fwl: 21-26mm 60-1350m Catacantha ferruginea female ws: 55mm; fwl: 30mm 60-1350m Brazil: Rio de Janeiro; Sao Paulo; Parana; Santa Catarina; Considerably darker than other species ?? Argentina: Misiones Cell markings and submarginal markings not as prominent as in oculata Catacantha bahiginea male ws: 49mm; fwl: 25-28mm 150-750m Catacantha bahiginea female ws: 57mm; fwl: 32-34mm 150-750m Brazil: Bahia; Pm lines very disctinct and straight on all wings Submarginal markings quite prominent on the the male Catacantha tabeae male ws: 47-50mm; fwl: 25-27mm 700m Catacantha tabeae female female undescribed 700m Brazil: Espirito Santo forewings: brownish hindwings: red-brown fw pml is strongly concave (more so than in very similar ferruginea) with out-turn near inner margin,

Use your browser "Back" button to return to the previous page.